[Export to Korea · Guide, updated October 2026]Exportingto Korea,step by step.

To sell consumer goods in Korea, someone in Korea has to import them. This guide covers the Korea import requirements for food, cosmetics, and everyday products, and how they differ from shipping orders straight to shoppers.

FOODMFDS registration, import declaration, inspection
LABELA Korean label, added as a sticker on your pack
OTHERCosmetics, KC-certified goods, and parcels to shoppers
SOURCES: MFDS · KOREA CUSTOMS SERVICE · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026

Four ways to exportto South Korea.

Parcels to shoppers
Coupang Global Selling
A Korean distributor
What OSC runs
A Korean importer of record
Who clears customs
Each shopper, parcel by parcel
Each order, across the border
The distributor
The importer
Food, supplements, cosmetics
Excluded from simplified clearance
Per Coupang's category rules
Yes, with their registrations
Yes, with their registrations
Stock
Abroad
Abroad
In Korea, usually theirs
In Korea, yours in most of our contracts
Price and brand
You decide
You decide
Mostly the distributor decides
One plan, set with you

Korea import requirementsfor food and supplements.

Under Korea's Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control, the importer registers the business and declares each shipment. These four steps come before the first sale.

STEP01

MFDS importer registration

The Korean importer registers an imported-food import and sales business with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

RESULT
→Ours is No. 20240002249
STEP02

Factory registration with MFDS

The factory that makes the product is registered with MFDS before the first import declaration. Without it, the declaration can be refused.

RESULT
→Registered manufacturer
STEP03

Import declaration and inspection

Each shipment is declared to MFDS before customs clearance. A product imported for the first time is tested in a laboratory.

RESULT
→Cleared shipment
STEP04

Korean label

The declaration includes the Korean label, printed on the pack or added as a sticker.

RESULT
→Korean label on every unit

Korea labeling requirements,product by product.

Every product sold in Korea carries its information in Korean, and what that label must say depends on the category. Under the MFDS Food Labeling Standards in force since August 29, 2025, imported food already sold in the exporting country may add a Korean sticker to its original pack, as long as it stays attached and doesn't cover the product name or date marks. Appliances that need KC certification carry the KC mark, and cosmetics list their full ingredients in Korean.

Korea import regulationsby product type.

01
LIVE

Food-contact products

Containers, utensils, and packaging that touch food are declared to MFDS like food, under the importer's registration.

  • →We start with the materials each part is made of.
02
LIVE

Cosmetics

Cosmetics imported for sale go through a registered responsible cosmetic distribution business, which keeps import records that include a product description in Korean.

  • →We work with a licensed partner for this and name them in the contract.
03
LIVE

Children's, electrical, and household goods

Many of these need KC safety certification or safety confirmation, model by model, before customs clearance. The application asks for a Korean business registration.

  • →We start by checking which KC category your product falls into.
04
LIVE

Shipping orders from abroad

Korean shoppers can receive small parcels for personal use with simplified customs, up to US$150 (US$200 from the United States). Goods brought in for sale don't qualify, and food, health supplements, and cosmetics are excluded from simplified clearance.

  • →If you plan to sell regularly, the product has to be imported.

Sources: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korea Customs Service, Korea Product Safety Information Center, and Coupang Global Sellers, checked October 2026. Rules change, so confirm with us or the agency before you ship. See how we import as your importer of record.

What to have readybefore exporting to Korea.

Send what you have. We list the rest, product by product, before anything ships.

DOCUMENT 01

Product list and ingredients

Every product you want to sell, with full ingredients and their percentages.

DOCUMENT 02

Current label and pack

Photos of every side of the pack, so we can plan where the Korean sticker goes.

DOCUMENT 03

Factory details

The manufacturer's name and address, for factory registration with MFDS.

DOCUMENT 04

Shelf life and storage

Shelf life and storage temperature. They decide how the product is stored and shipped in Korea.

DOCUMENT 05

Reports you already have

Lab reports or certificates you hold today. We check which of them Korea can use.

DOCUMENT 06

Price range

Your wholesale price range, so we can check the price works on Coupang and Naver.

Questions aboutexporting to Korea

FAQ

  • A registered Korean importer, a factory registered with MFDS, an import declaration for each shipment with an inspection (a lab test for a first import), and a Korean label.

  • The import business registration belongs to the Korean importer, not to you. Your factory is registered with MFDS before the first import declaration. When OSC is your importer, we handle both.

  • Imported food that is already sold in your country keeps its original labeling and may add a Korean sticker. The sticker has to stay firmly attached and must not cover the original product name or date marks.

  • Yes. You can ship parcels to shoppers for personal use, list through Coupang Global Selling, or work with a Korean importer of record such as OSC, which holds the registrations in Korea.

  • Korean shoppers can receive small parcels for personal use with simplified customs, up to US$150 (US$200 from the United States). Goods brought in for sale don't qualify, and food, health supplements, and cosmetics are excluded from simplified clearance.

  • Cosmetics imported for sale go through a registered responsible cosmetic distribution business, which keeps import records including a product description in Korean. We work with a licensed partner for this.

  • Korea's safety certification for many children's, electrical, and household products. It is done model by model before customs clearance, and the application asks for a Korean business registration.

  • The first shipment of a product takes longest, because it is tested in a laboratory. In a typical plan the Korean label is ready about two weeks after your files arrive, and stock is in Korea around week four.

  • Tell us about your product with the form below or at hello@oscsnm.com. We reply in English, Japanese, or Chinese.

Tell us about your product

Your product list with ingredients, a photo of the current label, your wholesale price range, and where you sell today make the first call faster. If you don't have all of that yet, that's fine. Send what you have.

We reply in English, Japanese, and Chinese. You can also write to hello@oscsnm.com.

/01Name*
/02Company*
/03Work email*
/04Phone (with country code)*
/05Country*
/06Product category*
/07What do you want to sell in Korea?*
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